Automobile theft is an international problem that affects every individual; either through theft of their own vehicle or as part of a class whose insurance premiums are raised to help others whose vehicles have been stolen. To this end, numerous anti-theft devices have been patented disclosing products designed to reduce unattended vehicle theft. Primarily this includes vehicles that are parked overnight.
Unattended vehicles must include those vehicles left running when parked. In many states it is illegal to leave a vehicle running unattended, that is, without a qualified driver at the controls. Unattended vehicles an attractive nuisance for children, not to mention car thieves. However, there exists many instances in which leaving an automobile running is a necessity. For instance, tractor trailers are typically left running even when the operator stops to eat or sleep. By leaving the engine running, fuel is saved since it is less expensive to idle a diesel engine than to restart it from a cold stop. A properly equipped tractor further promotes the operator to stay in the vehicle by providing sleeping quarters, wherein the running engine provides power to operate the interior heater and cooling system.
In some instances, emergency vehicles such as police cars, ambulances, or fire trucks must be left running while stopped. If such vehicles need to be driven immediately, the risk of not starting could be disastrous. Further, such vehicles may need the engine to run in order to operate auxiliary equipment such as water pumps, radios, and interior lights.
Industrial vehicles such as front end loaders are yet another type of vehicle that may be left running during working hours since restarts cause premature wear of the engine. Should these vehicles be left unattended and a curious youngster gains access, unpredictable damage to property may result.
Commercial drivers of delivery vehicles are also notorious for leaving their engines running. For instance, food delivery vehicles require constant refrigeration to prevent spoilage of food, thus the engine is left running during delivery. Private and public delivery services may make hundreds of stops per day leaving the engine running to avoid wear and tear on starting components. Due to the danger of leaving the vehicle unattended while running, the U.S. Postal service requires every vehicle that is stopped for making a delivery to shut off the engine. If the postal worker stops one hundred times a day, it is obvious that the life of the engine will be shortened accordingly.
Even private citizens may leave their vehicle running while unattended. This is especially problematic in the northern area where citizens may leave the engine running to warm up the interior during winter months.
Advanced anti-theft alarms now exist to provide protection for unattended vehicles that are left operating, however, it is noted that all know prior art systems require the ignition key to be removed upon leaving the vehicle. U.S. Pat. No. 4,403,675 discloses a motor vehicle security system which allows the engine to operate when the key is removed from the ignition. The system is set upon activation of the parking brake before the key is removed. If the key is not reinserted before releasing the parking brake, the vehicle is disabled. U.S. Pat. No. 5,115,145 discloses a motor vehicle security system which utilizes a by-pass switch allowing the engine to run when the ignition switch is turned to the "off" position and the key removed. The system disables the vehicle if moved unless the key is first replaced. This requires an affirmative action on behalf of the vehicle operator which is not suited for emergency situations.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,180,924 also discloses a motor vehicle security system which allows the engine to operate when the key is removed from the ignition. The system disables the vehicle if moved without replacement of the key. U.S. Pat. No. 4,955,453 discloses a vehicle security system which is set automatically when the operator gets out of the vehicle, a hidden switch is placed in the operator's seat.
However, none of the above systems are suited for use in attended vehicles. For instance, disabling the vehicle during a car jacking must be discrete for removal of the ignition key would be an obvious attempt at disabling the vehicle. Car jacking is a special concern due to the violent nature of the act. Car jacking is coined for those criminal elements who are incapable of defeating advanced vehicle protection devices and have taken to stealing vehicles while the driver is in the vehicle. In this situation the driver of the vehicle may be stopped at an intersection and physically forced from the vehicle. During this time a conventional alarm system is inappropriate and the criminal can easily take the vehicle without fear of the alarm. This situation is known to be very dangerous to the owner of the vehicle who realizes they are about to have their vehicle stolen and, since his alarm is disabled, can do nothing to stop it. If the owner puts up any form or resistance, bodily injury is likely to result. Should children be present, they may be taken by the thieves in their rush to leave the scene. In these instances, the need for the anti-theft device is at the greatest point yet unavailable to the operator.
Discrete tracking systems such as U.S. Pat. No. 4,908,629 issued to the Lo-Jack Corporation provide an excellent method of vehicle recovery but does not provide instant theft protection. The system is dependent upon properly equipped police vehicles to track the stolen vehicle making the system inappropriate for emergency situations. Thus, the owner of the vehicle must contact the police regarding the stolen vehicle. Should the owner not be able to find a telephone, or had the thieves also taken the owners identification code, the delay can give the thieves time to leave the area and begin dismantling of the vehicle.
Finally, the prior art does not teach an effective method for enabling or disabling of anti-theft devices. The use of keys is simple to duplicate. Encrypting of key devices have improved the art but are expensive to manufacture and have limited codes available. U.S. Pat. No. 5,079,435 discloses an electronic encrypted key that cannot be duplicated, however, the disclosure does not teach use of the encrypted key for disabling once the key is inserted. U.S. Pat. No. 4,955,453 provides enciphered code that is formed by placement of vehicle components. The disclosure does not teach encoding of the alarm system while the vehicle is attended.
Thus, what is needed in the art is an anti-theft device that works with both attended and unattended vehicles further providing a discrete initiation should the operator of the vehicle be attacked necessitating the use of the theft device.